


Tokyo --> Iwatobi, Expected 20:43

by randomwriter57



Series: Reigisa Week 2017 [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Trains, time as a concept
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 06:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9371609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: Nagisa glances at his watch. 20:29.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Reigisa Week 2017](http://reigisaweek.tumblr.com), Day Three: Time.

_Tokyo — > Iwatobi, expected 20:43._

Nagisa glances at his watch. 20:29. He sighs, his breath curling into the air in front of him. Rei must have rubbed off on him, considering he’s actually early for once. If only the train was early, too.

Maybe it’s the time of night, or the time of the year, but the train station is desolate. Instead of the summer-bright vibrancy of laughter and chatter, the air presses down with a vast silence. Even the seagulls are silent. Nagisa’s used to it, but that doesn’t mean he likes it.

He longs for summer; the blistering heat of the sun on their backs as they dive into the cool refuge of the pool, days on end with no purpose other than being together with friends. He even misses swimming at competitions, though competing was far from his favourite thing about the Iwatobi Swim Club. He’s starting to understand why Haru seemed so excited at the prospect of swimming pools, back in his first year.

 _If it’s gonna be this cold, there could at least be snow,_ Nagisa thinks with a pout, gazing up at the sky. Despite the expanse of grey above him, there is no white covering the ground. Then again, part of him knows the weather is a blessing. He wouldn’t want the train to be delayed due to snow.

Just as he thinks this, the LED board above his head flashes with a new message.

_Tokyo — > Iwatobi, due 20:43, expected 20:45._

It’s only two minutes, but he can’t help the disappointment he feels at the delay. And just as he was thinking how lucky he was for there not to have been a delay…

Since there’s not much he can do, he heads to the seating area, grimacing as he makes contact with the cold metal seating. The cold stings at his ears, and he pulls his beanie down a little lower. As he lowers his arm, he catches sight of his watch. 20:33. Still ten minutes.

 _There’s a vending machine not far from here_ , Nagisa thinks. _I could get a hot drink._

He’d been planning on waiting for Rei so they could get a drink together, but he can always buy one for him later, right?

Only a minute after sitting down, Nagisa gets back up and heads for the vending machine. He takes his time there, fumbling with the coins through his gloves, pushing the right change into the machine before punching the button for a hot drink. The can clunks at the bottom of the machine, and Nagisa pulls it out, savouring the warmth at his fingertips.

A few minutes later, he’s back on his icy perch, only a little warmer with the help of his drink. Out of habit, he glances up at the LED board.

_Tokyo — > Iwatobi, due 20:43, expected 20:50._

He does a double take. When did the time go up by five minutes?! Looking back at his watch, he sees it’s only 20:38. Twelve minutes, with the new delay.

Half of him wants to phone Rei to ask what’s wrong with his train, but he doesn’t. Instead, he sips at his hot chocolate and pulls out his phone to play a game on it. The trouble with having his phone out, of course, is that every few seconds, his eyes glance up to the top right corner, waiting for the digits to change.

At 20:41, he closes his phone.

He gets up. Paces. Listens to the soft pad of his trainers against the concrete and makes a note to get a better pair of shoes, when he can afford it. Bounces on the spot a couple of times. Drains his hot chocolate. Throws the can in the bin. Sits back down. Stands back up. Glances at his watch.

20:44.

Giving a groan, he throws his head in his hands. This waiting is pure agony. He looks back up at the board, daring it to have changed. It hasn’t.

_Thank god._

He takes a deep breath, the sterile chill of the air biting his nostrils. Only five minutes. That’s all he has to wait. If he’s gotten through the past - he double-checks his watch - sixteen minutes, he can get through another five. Hell, he’s gone through worse waiting periods in the queue at the local coffee shop, has waited in line for hours, once, for a concert with Rei and Kou in their third year. If he could make it through that, he can wait for five more minutes for a train.

What he realises a moment later is that, those times, there was always something distracting him. No pressure of waiting. Getting a coffee isn’t exactly monumental, and the excitement of waiting with friends to go into a concert made the whole night pass like a flash. But now, there’s nothing to distract him. The one thing on his mind is what he’s waiting for.

The one thing he knows is that it will be worth waiting for. It always has been.

He sits back down.

For a minute, he sits still, then starts drumming on his legs. Old habit, not easily forgotten. He can’t help but smile at the memory of Rei berating him for making so much noise, tapping on his desk during class. But he’s always been restless. He can’t help it. And it’s not like Rei didn’t learn how to tune it out.

At 20:48, he stands back up. Checks the board. The same _expected arrival_ time flashes in yellow lettering. He moves out to the platform, bouncing on the spot. Only two minutes.

On the other side of the tracks, he wonders if Rei is as restless as he is. Rei isn’t much of a restless person, but Nagisa likes to think that, just this once, he can’t focus on the book in his hands. That he keeps looking out of the window, waiting for the familiar scenery to melt into the town he knows like the back of his hand. That, right now, as the train is due to be pulling into the town, he is standing at the door, ready to push out as soon as it opens.

Nagisa checks his watch. 20:49.

In the distance, he hears something approaching on the tracks, just as his watch flickers to 20:50.

The train glides into view, screeching on the tracks as it slows to a halt. Nagisa surveys every window and doorway, trying to see the face he’s looking for there. He walks along the train, trying to find that shade of blue.

The doors open with a _whoosh_.

Only one passenger gets off the train, at the other end from where Nagisa stands. He turns to them, his heart pounding.

Rei.

Then, the only sound is his feet slamming against the pavement, the only scent the peppermint on Rei’s breath. It’s no longer winter but summer, a vibrant, burning feeling of warmth in his core. He slams into Rei, arms clutching his jacket as though in a moment, he’ll wake up and Rei will be gone. Rei’s arms wind around his waist, his head on top of Nagisa’s, lips pressed to his crown.

For a minute - or maybe five, or an hour, Nagisa isn’t keeping track anymore - they stay caught in their own world. Then, slowly, Rei pulls back, just enough to look at Nagisa, his eyes soft behind his glasses.

“Hi, Nagisa-kun.”

Nagisa’s face melts into the biggest smile he can muster. “I’m so happy to see you, Rei-chan.”

Rei laughs and leans his forehead against Nagisa’s. “It’s only been a month since we saw each other last.”

“But that was a whole month ago! I’ve missed you.” Nagisa tries to pout, but his lips keep curling upwards.

“I’ve missed you too,” Rei says. “Every second of the day.”

Grinning, Nagisa leans up, moving onto the tips of his toes. “Glad to hear it.”

As their lips connect, another train pulls into the station, and they ignore it.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me at [randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) | [@randomwriter57](http://twitter.com/randomwriter57) on twitter!


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